Wherever the Wind Goes
by Ephemeral Serendipity
Summary: Athrun Zala, a boring but handsome man with a boring life. His girlfriend? His job. Unsure of what to do with his life, he suddenly meets a very interesting girl. "She was never good at saying good bye," he murmured. ATHRUN x CAGALLI
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, thank you very much.

* * *

**Wherever the Wind Goes**

Chapter 1

* * *

Waking to the sound of chirping birds, Kira Hibiki rubbed his eyes wearily. He shielded his purple eyes from the glaring rays of the sun, before rolling onto his other side and closing his eyes again. However, they were quickly open again as he realized that his bed was empty, except for him. He felt the blankets on the other side; they were cold, as if abandoned for a long time. Getting up and smiling to himself, he yawned.

Looking for a note of some kind, he searched the bedside table on the other side, but there was nothing. Sighing with disappointment, he flopped back onto his bed and looked at the ceiling, wondering where _she_ went.

"She was never good at saying good bye," he murmured, and grabbing the phone from his bedside table, he called a certain pink-haired girl.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away, Athrun Zala was driving to work. He felt exhausted, and had deep circles under his eyes. Resisting the urge to yawn again, he grabbed his coffee and gulped it down. Gazing at the road ahead of him, he thought about work, sleep, work, sleep, work, sleep, work, sleep… it was the same routine every day. He would drive to work at 5:30 AM every single morning, get there at 6:00 AM, work until 8:00 PM, and get home and sleep at 8:30 PM. He rarely had time to eat breakfast, and so his daily meals were cut down from 3 to 2. Sometimes, he would even skip dinner, too exhausted to deal with it.

"Workaholic," his friends said disapprovingly.

He could only disagree. He wasn't addicted to working, most certainly not. What was so addicting about being a boss of a grand corporation? No, he just couldn't find anything else to do. Certainly, his friends invited him out every once and then, but it wasn't like they went out every single day.

Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, he shrugged these thoughts off his head and got to work. When he arrived, he smiled at his secretary, Meyrin Hawke.

"Good morning, Mr. Zala," she greeted, returning his smile with a sweet smile of her own. "You have a meeting with Mr. Joule at 10:00 AM, a meeting with Mr. Westenfluss at 3:00 PM. Also, Mr. Asuka has asked that you call him as soon as you have free time."

"Thanks, Meyrin. Any idea what Shinn wants with me? If it's about screaming cats again, I'm not going to call him." Taking off his tie, he remembered the last time Shinn had asked him to call.

"_Hello? Shinn?" _

"_Athrun! Oh, thank goodness you called! I'm in trouble, so much trouble!" Raising his eyes at the black-haired man's tone, Athrun replied._

"_What's wrong? Did Stellar find you cheating on her or something?" Hearing Shinn splutter and an "ow" from Stellar supposedly whacking him, the blue-haired man laughed to himself._

"_NO! Darnit, Athrun, don't give her false ideas! No, it's something even worse than that!"_

"_Stop wasting my time and tell me what it is then!" _

"_Y-you know how Stellar has like, goldfish right?"_

"_She does?"_

"_Okay, yeah, she does. Anyways, I brought home several kittens because her birthday is tomorrow an—"_

"_It's her birthday tomorrow? Say happy birthday to her for me, will you?"_

"_WILL YOU LET ME FINISH?!"_

"_Fine, fine, please continue."_

"_Anyways, I woke up this morning and I realized that her fish were gone!"_

_Shaking his head in disbelief, Athrun had to resist the urge to slam the phone down. "Shinn, I hope for your own good that you did not call me just to tell me that your kittens ate Stellar's fish!"_

"_No, no, of course not! No, I was planning to go out and buy her new fish, but before I could go, the kittens pulled down my pants!"_

"_Good for you, Shinn, choosing the kitties that are prematurely active. Now stop cheating on Stellar and go buy her new fish!"_

"_Athrun! It's not a joke! Every time I tried to leave the house, the kittens wouldn't let me and they would drag my pants down!"_

"_Shinn, I know you never take my advice, but go neuter them!"_

"_I know, I kn—wait, no! But they're both guys!"_

"_Congratulations Shinn, on being bisexual," retorted Athrun sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. Meyrin, in the office beside him, had burst out laughing, shaking her head. _

"_Darnit, Athrun! The point is, that wasn't even the scariest thing!" Shinn's voice had risen in pitch._

"_What is then?! You've wasted 5 minutes of my life so far, and if you waste 10 minutes of my life, you're going to find yourself without one!"_

"_Okay okay! The thing is, they began to scream!"_

_Dumb-struck, Athrun stared at the phone before answering. "They… screamed?"_

"_Like a banshee!"_

"_Dude, Shinn, you have the weirdest pets ever. I haven't forgotten Pocky." Pocky was a talking parrot Shinn had taken home. Pocky wasn't just good at talking, he was also good at imitating disturbing noises he picked up from the master bedroom. Whenever Athrun went over, Pocky had imitated the couple of the house, much to their embarrassment. He had decided not to step into their house again until Pocky had passed away._

"_P-Pocky…" sniffed Shinn, making Athrun slap his forehead in disbelief._

"_Shinn, please don't tell me you actually enjoyed hearing your PARROT imitate YOU in BED!"_

"_No! Of course not! BUT ANYWAYS, the kittens were screaming! THEY WERE SCREAMING WHEN THEY WERE PULLING MY PANTS DOWN!"_

"_Shinn, I think you have a case of severe hallucinations."_

"_I'm not going crazy!"_

"_Of course you're not. You always were."_

"_Athrun! Please, do me a favour and take these kittens away!"_

"_No."_

"_What?! C'mon, Athrun, aren't we friends?"_

"_Look, if they were trying to pull down your pants, what the heck are they going to do to me when I'm DRIVING THEM?!"_

"… _good point. But will you at least go to the pet store, get me some goldfish, and while you're at it, tell the workers there to take these feline horrors bac—DANG IT THAT'S THE 36__TH__ TIME!"_

_Shaking his head again, Athrun hung up on his friend._

Meyrin laughed, and shook her head. "No, Mr. Asuka says he wanted to invite you out later this week."

"Not to his house, I hope. I heard those dogs were barking mad."

"I don't know the details, so call him when you're free," was the red-head's response, and Athrun nodded and walked into his office. Looking at the clock, he had 4 hours until he had to meet Yzak. 'Guess I'll just finish up this pile of work.'

* * *

"Lacus?" queried Kira, leaning on his bedpost.

"Good morning, Kira!" Smiling at the sound of her voice, the brunette looked outside.

"Cagalli left again this morning." There was an awkward silence for a while before Lacus replied.

"Ah, I see. Did she leave a note or anything?"

"Nada. Nothing at all."

"Well, you know she's like that," giggled the pink-haired princess, who was drinking tea on her porch.

"Yeah, I know," sighed Kira, "But that's not why I'm calling."

"Oh."

"I'll wash the bed sheets, okay?"

"… is that an invitation, Kira?"

"An invitation back to where you belong," murmured the brunette, blushing.

"I'll be there in 15 minutes," said Lacus cheerily, already getting up.

"See you, Lacus. I've missed you," whispered the brunette, before hanging up. Blushing as well, Lacus smiled to herself and went to pack her things.

* * *

"Athrun, are you okay?" Yzak glared at the navy-haired man in front of him. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have heard Yzak, as he seemed to be… sleeping. "Athrun. Get up. NOW."

Jumping as though he was shocked with a taser, the other man opened his eyes blearily and shot the silver-haired man an annoyed look.

"Look, Yzak, I'm tired, okay? Cut me some slack."

"Why the heck should I cut you some slack?"

"My business owns yours," snapped Athrun, before going back to sleep. Breathing deeply and hoping to keep his temper in check, Yzak twitched.

"Right. But you're wasting my time here, okay?! I came here to talk about merging with Orb Financial! I hoped this would be short but you're dragging it out!"

"Fine fine, do you just need me to sign something or something?"

"YES!"

Signing the sheet the platinum-haired man shoved at his face, he waved him off. Yzak however, was shaking with anger, but stormed out of the room, leaving Athrun sleeping there. Meyrin came in, and shrugging her shoulders, shook her boss awake.

"Mhhhmfffahh?"

"Mr. Zala, you have a meeting with Mr. Westenfluss in 20 minutes. Don't forget that!"

"Mmk—wait, 20 minutes?!" Athrun got up and gaped at his secretary, who looked shocked at his outburst.

"You were in this room for 4 hours and 40 minutes with Mr. Joule."

"F-four hours and forty minutes?!"

"That's correct."

"UGH!" Athrun ran to the washroom, splashed his face, and ran to get his papers from his office.

This meeting with Heine Westenfluss was **NOT** going to be fun.

"Neh, neh, Athrun. Don't you have any girls yet?"

"As I was saying, Heine…" Athrun resisted the urge to take his papers and whack the orange-haired man across the head.

"Don't tell me you're still a virgin. Being a 20 year-old virgin is not cool. I mean, Kira lost his when he was 16…"

"HEINE."

"Chill, dude! I'm just saying, you really need a girl in be—"

"If you don't shut up this moment about sex, I swear, I'll kick you out of this office!"

"Okay, okay! But you still need a girl," Heine couldn't avoid the flying binder that went straight for his face.

**6 hours later**

"Mr. Zala?" Meyrin gawked as she saw her boss hanging off the table, steam coming out from his ears and head.

"Nnnnnnffffgggg. You can go now..." Unsure of what to do, Meyrin just left, hoping her boss would be back to normal soon.

"Stupid… Heine… I'll… kick… his… sorry… ass…" grumbled Athrun, rubbing his forehead and temples. After 6 hours of attempted business talk, he gave into Heine's constant sex talk.

Getting his keys and walking out the door, Athrun slumped in his car seat and looked up at the sky. Stars glittered and twinkled, and the moon was bright in the sky.

"What a beautiful sight," he whispered into the night air.

Looking up, a girl's amber orbs took in the same sight Athrun did, and a smile slowly inched across her face.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I just had to get this story idea out of my head. "OTL Yes, yes, new story. : D

Random inspiration from when I was in America… driving to Grove City… yeah.

Cagalli wasn't really mentioned much here, but she'll have a much bigger impact in the second chapter. : D

Err, I hope this is still clean enough to be rated T LOL.

Until next time! : D Take care, and _**please read and review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, or any of its characters.

* * *

**Wherever the Wind Goes**

Chapter 2

* * *

After hanging up the last of the laundry out in his backyard, Kira went back inside his house. As he walked back upstairs to his room, he grabbed a new, fresh pile of bed sheets and put them on his bed. While setting up his bed, he suddenly saw a note slip out from one of the new pillow covers. Frowning, he bent to pick it up.

"Hi Kira,

Thanks for letting me crash your place again. Sorry for interrupting your daily life with Lacus; I'll make it up to you eventually. Tell Lacus I'm sorry, okay? I'll come back whenever I can.

Love,

Cagalli

P.S. Since you never find these letters, I'll just tell you that this was written in 2006."

Chuckling out loud, Kira smiled to himself as he tucked the letter away in his pocket. Staring at his bed, he resumed replacing the bed sheets and the pillows. Just as he finished, his doorbell rang. Running towards the door, he opened it to find a pink-haired girl loaded with luggage, smiling at him.

"Lacus!" Kira stepped forward and hugged her, who promptly dropped her luggage on his foot and hugged him back. "Lacus, I've missed you," he said softly, pulling away and caressing her cheek.

"And I, you," was her reply as she picked up the luggage she left on his feet.

"Sorry about asking you to leave when Cagalli came over. I just didn't know if she could… if she could bear to be around other people at that time," whispered the brunette, gazing at his lover's blue orbs. Smiling in response, Lacus shook her head.

"It's alright. It seemed like she needed you and only you at that time, so it was alright with me." Lacus replied, letting go of one of her bags and placing it on his chest. Kira looked down, unsure of what to say next.

"Thank you, Lacus. It really means a lot to me. To me and Cagalli," he thanked her quietly, before picking up the abandoned luggage and walking her upstairs to the bedroom.

"So… how was she before she left again?" Lacus asked, going to the closet and putting her things back in.

Helping her, Kira paused momentarily. "She… I don't know. She seemed to be alright."

"I'm sure she's alright again," assured the blue-eyed girl, looking up at him. "She's strong; she'll overcome anything that comes her way."

"I know, but…" uncertain of how to continue, Kira fumbled for words before saying, "It's just that this time, she seemed so lost."

Standing up and placing a hand on his back, Lacus said soothingly, "She'll find her way again. She always does."

Staring at Lacus, Kira sighed and smiled awkwardly. "I'm being overprotective again, aren't I?"

"No more than usual," replied Lacus, pulling out some more clothes from her suitcase.

"Hey, since you're back, want to call Athrun over for dinner?" Kira asked, moving her suitcases to one side. Surprised, Lacus looked at him.

"… so soon?"

"Eh?"

"I was hoping… since tonight is the first night in a few months, you know…" Lacus' voice grew softer and softer, while Kira's eyes grew bigger and bigger.

"U-uh… okay. Tomorrow night, then," he confirmed, smiling shyly. Taking out his cell phone, he looked for his best friend's number. Walking towards the window and looking outside, he absentmindedly thought about his sister.

"Hello?"

"Cagalli…"

"… huh?" Startled, the brunette looked at the phone.

"Oh, Athrun! It's me, Kira."

"Oh, hey Kira. Who's Cagalli?"

"Ah, no one in particular," stammered Kira, looking around his room frantically. "Hey, did you know Lacus just got back?"

"Eh? Really? From PLANTS?"

"Yeah, she just arrived at my house. We were wondering if you would like to come over tomorrow night for dinner or something."

"… sure, I'd like that. What time?"

"Can you be here at 6? We can talk until 6:30 PM or 7 PM, and then eat."

"Yeah, that's alright with me. See you, then." Kira stared at the phone as Athrun hung up.

"Something wrong?" Lacus wondered, staring at his expression.

"… I think, Lacus, he really needs a girl."

"… ah."

* * *

Throwing his phone to one side, Athrun rolled off his couch and onto the floor, with a loud "oomph". Staring at the clock, he realized it was only 2 PM.

'_Crap. Why am I not at wo— oh. It's Saturday.'_ Grateful that he took the weekends off every week, Athrun got up and picked up his phone. _'Lacus is back, eh? … it's been… UGH I can't remember.'_ Walking over to his calendar, Athrun realized he was 2 months behind. Shrugging, he wondered what he should make for dinner. Something… light? Maybe a rice omelet…

Groaning, Athrun decided to skip brunch and just go out for a meal. Picking his keys off his desk, he realized he had accumulated 5 cm of dust. Too lazy to clean it up then, he simply walked out the door to his garage, muttering, "Later."

As he got into his Audi R8, he wondered where he could go for a quick meal. Deciding he didn't care and would just drive around looking, he started his car. Feeling the familiar growl of the car, he backed out of the garage, down his driveway, and sped out of the neighbourhood.

Somehow, he found himself driving on the route to work. Slapping his forehead in disgust, he decided it didn't really matter anyways. However, something caught his eye as he drove by a remote tree-free area. It seemed… to be a person, just dancing around in the open area. Frowning to himself, he wondered if they were lost. Slowing his car to a stop, he got out and jumped over the guardrail.

When he got closer, he realized it was a blonde girl, with a camera hanging from around her neck, and a canvas in front of her.

"Uh… are you okay?" He asked, walking towards her. She stopped her twirling about and stared at him. Ignoring his question, she looked behind.

"Nice car. Is that 2008 Audi R8 yours?"

Confused, he nodded slowly.

"Bye bye!" she hollered at the car. Shocked, Athrun spun around to look for his car… only to find it in the exact place he left it.

"Wait, what?!"

"Sorry about that. Just joking with you," said the blonde, grinning at him mischievously. He realized that her eyes were deep amber, and there was something very familiar about them. "Anyways, I'm okay. I'm simply here because I like the scenery here."

Staring at her in disbelief, and cursing himself for his foolishness, he responded, "Oh, okay."

"Come, sit! Even though there's still snow here, it's really quite comfortable," the girl urged, sitting down and patting beside her; an invitation for him to sit.

"Uh, no, it's okay…" he began, but was interrupted.

"Have a safe trip!" the girl called, waving at something behind him. Sighing, he snapped.

"Look, I'm not falling for that ag—" Athrun was interrupted by the familiar sound of his beloved Audi. Spinning around, he gawked as his car drove away.

'_F---!_' He thought, furious. He grew livid after the girl burst out laughing. He turned around to face her, snarling.

"Look here, you weirdo. That car cost me a lot of money, and I'm going to be in deep doodoo unless I get it back!"

"I know, I know."

"So how do you plan on paying me back for that car?"

"Wait, why is it my fault?" Standing up, the girl crossed her arms and glared at him. "Who was the idiotic one that left their keys in the ignition, hmm?"

"Okay, shut up."

"Anyways, I'll help you. Take my canvas and the stand, will you?" Picking up her palette and her paints, she walked away to a road beside the meadow. Stumbling, Athrun hurried to pick the objects up and ran after her. He looked at the road she was walking towards, and stared in shock at the car that was parked there.

"Please don't tell me… that's yours."

"Yes. This lovely thing is mine," giggled the blonde, rather cheerfully. Opening the trunk and stuffing her tools in, she took the canvas and stuck it in as well. Then, she opened the door of the 2008 Aston Martin DBS and looked at Athrun. "Get in."

"W-wait, seriously?! This car is yours?!"

"Are you going to get in or not?"

"Are you sure it's not stolen or somethi—"

"Either you sit that fine ass in this fine seat, or your fine car is going to be driven away by fine thieves. Choose the darn fine option here." She said threateningly. Gulping, Athrun knew perfectly well what the _'fine'_ option was. He got into the car, and she slammed the door. As she got into the driver's seat, he realized that the back of the car was completely filled with…

"Do you camp in here or something?" Athrun questioned, staring at the sleeping bags that filled up the backseats.

"It's my home," she answered, starting the car. Athrun remained quiet as she found her way onto the highway again.

"Don't you have a house?"

"… not really," she grinned sheepishly.

Puzzled, he was about to ask her another question before she exclaimed, "Hey, is that your car?"

"Huh? Wh—yeah! That is! How'd you catch up so fa— WHOA SLOW DOWN!" Athrun stared at the speed meter and was astonished to see it at 150 km/h.

"I can't total your car, right?

"Go ah—wait, what do you mean by total?!"

An evil smile crossed her face as she suddenly swerved in front of the stolen car, causing it to stop right before hitting the Aston Martin. Several cars behind them beeped as they passed.

"There you go," cheered the blonde happily, getting out of the car. Athrun did the same, and walked up to his car.

Knocking on the driver's window, Athrun growled, "You get your fine ass out of my fine car before the fine me kicks your fine ass out."

The door opened to reveal a pale man, probably 17 or 18. Stumbling out, he shrieked and ran for his life.

"Good riddance," said Athrun, satisfied.

"Nice, you got your car back," congratulated the blonde, walking to his side.

"Yeah," he replied, giving her a smile. "Thanks for helping me."

"Oh, no, it was my pleasure. Hey, what's your na— WAIT! YOU STINKING THIEF, GET BACK HERE WITH MY CAR!"

Sure enough, the Aston Martin was speeding away on the highway. Roaring with laughter, Athrun clung onto his car for support, clutching his stomach with his free hand.

"STOP YOUR LAUGHING RIGHT NOW AND HELP ME GET MY CAR BACK!" screamed the blonde, jumping up and down and pointing in the direction her car went off in.

"Alright! Sit that fine ass of yours down in this fine car and we'll go after those fi—" Poor Athrun's sentence was never finished as Cagalli pulled him out of the driver's seat and slammed the door. Rolling down her window, she glared at him as she pointed at the passenger seat with her thumb.

"Get YOUR fine ass in this fine car before I kick your fine ass."

"Whatever you say, Princess," replied Athrun cheerily, smiling to himself.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Ahaha, I love this couple. : D

Again, this whole chapter was thought up on the way to Pennsylvania. I happened to see this open spot on the highway and I just thought, "INSPIRATION!", and thus came the idea for Athrun stopping on the side of the highway. (:

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! : D

Don't forget to read and review, mmkayy? (:


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, or any of its characters.

* * *

**Wherever the Wind Goes**

Chapter 3

* * *

After an excruciatingly long afternoon, Athrun got back home from continuous car thefts. However, he was grinning, thinking about what happened earlier.

"_Why, that stinking little filthy MORON!" snarled the blonde, driving furiously at nearly 170 km/h. Holding onto his seatbelt for his dear life, Athrun tried to calm her down._

"_Relax! With your insane driving I'm sure you'll catch him soo— OW! Darnit!" Athrun rubbed his throbbing head gingerly as the car stopped, and he looked to his right to see the Aston Martin. "See? I said you'd catch up eventually."_

_Stopping the car, the blonde threw the keys at him and stormed towards her car. Opening the door, she pulled the man out and glared at the thief. "Why, hello, you brainless, gutless, little asswipe. Do you need to know what I like to do to little brainless, gutless asswipes, hmm?"_

_Evidently finding the blonde absolutely bat-sh-- insane, the youth ran for his life off the highway and into the trees. Wiping her hands victoriously, the amber eyed blonde beamed at Athrun, who shook his head in disbelief._

"_Now I know I should never want to be called a brainless, gutless, little asswipe by you."_

_Bending over laughing, the blonde shook her head. "Most definitely not. The other guy ended up in hospital for a year."_

_Joining her, Athrun laughed until he had a stitch in his side. Getting into his car, he gave her one of his business cards._

"… _Zala Insurance?" The blonde raised her eyes at the name. "Are you implying something?"_

"_Of course not!" was his response, grinning rather playfully. "Did you leave your keys in the ignition again?"_

"_Oh cr— okay, well, see you around," she called over her shoulder as she jumped into her car. "Or not."_

_Athrun, having not heard the last part, continued to smile as she drove around his car. _

However, he realized he forgot to ask for her name.

"DARNIT!"

Grumbling to himself, he also realized he never did get his meal.

* * *

**Next Day**

_DING DONG_

"Lacus, Athrun's here!"

"Kira, I know what the bell means."

Opening the door, the brunette smiled at the navy-haired male, who was holding flowers and a basket of goodies for the couple. He was clad in a green turtleneck and black jeans. His hair was slightly messier than usual, but still looked miraculously tidy.

"Hey, Kira. Long time no see," Athrun said, giving his presents to him.

"Oh, thanks. Lacus! Come here!" Kira called towards the kitchen. Walking over, Lacus, wearing a small smile, hugged the emerald-eyed man.

"It's nice to see you again! It's been almost half a year!"

Stunned, Athrun pulled back from the hug. "Half a year?!"

"Tsk tsk, Athrun! You don't even remember the last time you saw your best friends?" Kira chided, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Uh, been kind of busy… sorry," stammered Athrun, scratching his head. Lacus, however, laughed.

"I've only went back for around 2 months. It's just that you haven't come over for dinner for 6. Here, go catch up on things with Kira; I'll call you guys when dinner's ready," the pink-haired girl walked back towards the kitchen, smelling the flowers Athrun gave her.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a certain Aston Martin DBS, a blonde crawled out of one of her sleeping bags in the backseats. Blinking as she glanced outside, she realized it was much later than her usual wake-up time. Hugging her red wool sweater, she sat up and scratched her head. Shrugging, she stumbled into the driver's seat, while a small card slipped from her pocket. Staring at it, she picked it up and read it.

"Zala Insurance?" She mumbled to herself, raising her eyebrows. "That… sounds vaguely familiar…"

Tilting her head to the side, she narrowed her eyes at the card, and she suddenly remembered, "Oh, the Audi guy!"

Her eyes suddenly softening and filling with regret, she was about to rip the card into pieces when suddenly, she stopped. Sighing and laughing softly, she stuck it back into her pocket. This time, she felt another piece of paper. Mumbling curses, she took it out. Eyes widening in shock, she quickly started her car and was soon zooming down the highway.

* * *

"C'mon, sit here," Kira gestured to the couch in the living room. Sitting down, Athrun gazed at the wall, which was filled with many pictures of Kira and Lacus.

"You guys seem to be making good progress," he said, grinning at the brunette, who grinned sheepishly and poured them both cups of coffee.

"Ah, well, I guess you can say that. What about you, Athrun? Get a girl yet?" Groaning, Athrun glared at his best friend, who laughed and said, "I'll take that as a no."

"Seriously, why is everyone nagging me about getting a girl? I'll get a girl when I find a girl!" snapped the navy-haired boss. "I don't get why being a virgin at the age of 20 is so shockin—" He glared at Kira as the brunette spluttered and sprayed the coffee he was drinking all over the table.

"Y-you're still a virgin?!"

"Kira, please."

"I don't mean it in a bad way!"

"What other way can you mean?"

"Uh… a good way?"

"Cut the bull."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm just surprised that someone with a body like yours," Kira said, waving a hand at Athrun's body, "still hasn't gotten laid."

"Keep it PG-13, okay?"

"I'm sorry!"

In the kitchen, Lacus wondered exactly how Kira knew how good Athrun's body was. Deciding she was better off not knowing, she continued to chop the broccoli.

"But seriously," continued Kira, sipping his coffee, "You really haven't found a girl you like yet?"

"No, I haven't," responded Athrun curtly, also picking up his cup of coffee.

"What about that secretary of yours? Me-Me-Meyrin! Meyrin… Eagle?"

"Meyrin Hawke," corrected Athrun, raising his eyebrows. "Not interested. She's nice and all, but… I can't imagine her as a lover. Anyways, Lunamaria would kick my butt."

Privately thinking that Meyrin would have to be very lucky in order to snag Athrun as a date, Kira muttered, "Well, unless you want to be a 40 year old virgin, get yourself a girl."

"Stop it, Kira."

"I'm serious! It's not good for your health!"

"KIRA! Stop talking about my sex life!"

"Athrun, I'm not. I can't talk about what you don't have!"

"…" The blue-haired man glared at his best friend, who ignored him. "I just don't see it happening. Me, getting a girl."

"… what, do you see yourself getting a guy? I'm taken, man, sorry."

"Darnit, Kira, and I thought you were trying to help?"

"Heine?"

"I'll probably die of some STD or something. And, besides, I'm NOT GAY. Now stop it."

"Fine, fine. Anything interesting happen recently?"

Remembering yesterday's incidents, Athrun grinned slyly. Puzzled at his reaction, Kira edged away just a bit. An inch or two.

"I guess you can say that," chuckled Athrun, laughing at his friend's actions. Then, he proceeded to tell Kira what happened between him and the blonde.

Kira guffawed at the appropriate moments, and nearly fell off his chair when Athrun told him what the blonde had said to him when she told him to get into the car. Shaking his head in disbelief, Kira said, "There you go, your soul mate!"

"That's not all! She left _HER_ key in the ignition and it got stolen right after I got my car back."

Doubling up in laughter, Kira wiped away the tears that formed as Athrun finished his story. Sighing and leaning back in his chair, he said, "Athrun, _seriously_. That girl has to be your soul mate."

"I didn't get her name, though," mumbled the blue-haired male, looking down in shame.

"Wait, what?! Seriously? Athrun, you are stupider than I thought!"

"You thought I was stupid?"

"Uh, ignore that! I'm just saying, how could you not get her name?! What did she look like?" Leaning forward in his chair, Kira gazed at the other man.

"She had… shoulder-length blonde hair and amber eyes. She was driving a 2008 Aston Martin DBS," Athrun replied, remembering her piercing gaze and her glowing smile.

Meanwhile, Kira registered what Athrun told him in his head. Frowning, Kira realized it looked a LOT like a _certain someone_ who left his house a few days ago.

Thankfully, Kira did not have time to dwell on how he should respond as Lacus called them to dinner.

"Dinner time! Wash your hands before eating, okay?"

"Coming! Let's go, Athrun," Kira said, standing up. Athrun did the same, still thinking about the mysterious girl who liked to sleep in sleeping bags… in her car.

* * *

"AH! I'M SO STUPID! How could I forget to leave a letter for Kira?!" Wailed a blonde, thinking back to the letter she found in her pocket.

'_Well, he probably won't find it until four years later anyways… but still!'_ Mentally berating herself, she shot past other drivers who beeped at her for going 150 km/h.

* * *

Lacus glanced up at the two males who were coming in. Kira was looking very, very puzzled, while Athrun was grinning stupidly. Raising her eyebrows, Lacus asked, "… did something happen between you two?"

Startled, they both shook their heads and sat down. Staring at the dishes, Athrun said, "Lacus, you're amazing."

There was a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad, pasta, and quesadillas, and not to mention the dessert that she had whipped up.

Giggling, Lacus thanked him as the three of them tucked in.

To Kira's horror, Lacus asked him, "Do you have any clue where Cagalli was headed?"

Shaking his head furiously and making hushing gestures, Kira tried to relay the message that it wasn't a good time to talk about this. Unfortunately, Lacus didn't understand WHY it wasn't a good time.

Upstairs, the blonde perked up at the sound of her name. Tumbling in through Kira's window, she quietly snuck across his bedroom and out the door into the main hallway. Peeping out at the kitchen, she saw her brother, his lover, and...

"The Audi guy!" whispered Cagalli to herself, shocked.

"Cagalli? Who's Cagalli?" Athrun, the 'Audi' guy, questioned, his mouth stuffed with meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

"Uh… no one," Kira made up, still trying to reach Lacus, who raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"But… isn't she your siste—"

"No, no, not at all!" Kira desperately raised his eyebrows meaningfully, and thankfully, she understood.

"Oh, right…" she whispered softly. Trying to fix the problem, Kira added more.

"Cagalli… is just a name I thought was pretty. Nothing at all, really. I don't know anyone that's named Cagalli." Not completely convinced, but decided to let it go, Athrun continued to stuff himself with food.

In the hallway, Cagalli found her way back into Kira's bedroom. Stopping at the window, she felt as if her heart had stopped. Furiously blinking back tears, she crumpled up the letter she forgot to leave for Kira and ripped it to pieces. By now, her tears had overflowed, and she found herself sobbing quietly. Using her arm to muffle the sounds, she glanced back in the direction of the kitchen.

"W-why… why does it hurt so much?" Her head swiveled back to the world outside the window, and she jumped out, landing softly on the flowerbed. Glancing at her Aston Martin, Cagalli stumbled towards it, tears falling steadily.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I need to stop working on this story and get back to work on 'Taking Over', agreed?

I'm sorry for making Cagalli seem so weak; ooc, I know. D: But there is reason for that! ; A ; She'll be … back to normal in the next chapter. : D

Anyways, I stayed up until 2 just thinking about this story. I couldn't sleep and had to play one of those iPod games a hundred times before I finally fell asleep.

I also had to get up every time I thought of a new idea for this story. Ughhhh.

By the way, anyone have any information about the Seed movie? C: Apparently it's coming out in December this year, but I need confirmation about that? (:

Back on topic, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Rather random, but I'm that kind of person.

**OH, A LITTLE NOTICE: I will no longer be updating my stories like, every single day. "OTL March Break is over for me now, so I don't have as much time… I have the schedule for releases on my page, so go check if you want to know when one of my stories will be coming out! (: Sorry about this; I just don't think I can juggle daily schoolwork and do fanfictions every day.**

**AND ANOTHER NOTICE: Sorry I haven't been replying to reviews lately... from now on, I'm just going to insert them here, because I keep losing track of which ones I have replied to and which ones I haven't. XD**

**bubbles** - I'm sorry if you found it weird; but their meeting does have a special meaning. ;P

**Random Person -** LOL. I'm sorry about the chapter; there is something behind their meeting though! ^^

**memeylupht -** Aha, that was one of my favourite scenes! XD I decided I wouldn't... kill off the poor thief so I just let him go. XD' Or, Cagalli did. P:

**Dhevz -** Aww, glad you love it! :D Here's the next chapter!

**jaja59 - **Woohoo~ I'm glad you thought it was funny. :D I had a lot of fun writing it. XD

**Angel Wings-008 -** Aww, thank you! O u O Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**AsuCagaFan -** Yep, it's irony! XD Honestly, I love opposites attract pairings; they are soooo cute! LOL yes, he does... kinda.. ; u ; TURN AROUND, ATHRUN! XD You'll find out who falls in love first... soon... I think... o u o'' Unless it's apparent in this chapter LOL.

**BrownSugaredCandy - **Yay! Thanks for your comments; glad you laughed. :D

**Cagalli Haruka Zala -** Aww, I'm glad you do! :) YES, ASUCAGA FOREVER!!!

To all above reviewers, and favers and alerters, thank you very much! I really appreciate all of it, and continue the reviews! :D

**_Thanks for reading, and please review! :D_**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, or any of its characters.

* * *

**Wherever the Wind Goes**

Chapter 4

* * *

Cagalli opened her eyes to see the back of the passenger seat. Yawning while stretching her arms, she smiled at the scene outside the windshield. Last night, she found a convenient hill where she simply just parked her car. Staring at the sunrise, inspiration struck, and she opened the trunk of her Aston Martin.

Glancing into the trunk, she grabbed a blank canvas and her brown easel. Propping it up in front of the car, she tied her hair back before rushing back to grab a clean palette and her acrylic paints. Humming to herself, she gazed at the rising sun.

Clouds were scattered around the sun, but the rays shone and peeked out at the sky, illuminating it. The sun itself was bright, of course, but cast a beautiful red glow in contrast to the blue surrounding. The clouds weren't just white and grey; the blueness and the redness from the sun and sky gave the clouds different hues of purple. Birds flew back and forth in front of her, but she didn't mind. Looking out at this scene hanging over a city, Cagalli couldn't help but mutter out loud to herself as she began to paint the first layer.

"… confused, unclear, lost…? Maybe not lost… just uncertain? Shy? No place in the world?" Biting her lip, she quickly finished the first layer of paint. She puffed out her cheeks as she tilted her head to the right. "Maybe… doesn't know what to do…"

Suddenly remembering, Cagalli quickly took a photo of the scene. Berating herself sternly, she whispered to herself, "You'll never remember unless you capture these passing moments… because those moments will definitely never come back."

Sighing, she continued to paint, mixing blue and red together, and singing softly to herself all the while.

* * *

"Good morning, Mr. Zala!" Meyrin greeted her boss as he walked in. Yawning and putting his coffee down, Athrun nodded in response. "You have… another meeting with Mr. Westenflus—"

"Cancel it," ordered Athrun, rather frantically. His last meeting with Heine… he would rather not go that way. Furthermore, after Kira's… _suggestion_, he would rather avoid the orange-haired man for a few days… or weeks… maybe a month.

"But… he requested that you see him immediatel—"

"I don't care. Cancel it!"

"But… it's in 2 minutes! I can't cancel it if it's that soon!"

Letting out a growl, Athrun rolled his eyes and grabbed a pile of papers concerning Heine's company, Westenfluss Corporation. Rushing out the office again, Meyrin hollered after him, "Don't forget to call Mr. Asuka today, okay?"

Running towards his meeting room, he opened the door and groaned at the sight awaiting him.

"That's not nice, Ath-ath!" Trying not to explode, 'Ath-ath' glared at the unwelcome intruder.

"Well, if it isn't Dearka. What in the blazes are you doing here?!"

Laughing at his friend's expression, Dearka leaned back against his chair and propped his feet up on the table. He was dressed in a black suit, with a white collared shirt underneath. His tie was brilliant turquoise, spotted with dots a lighter shade. "Heine told me you were having… difficulties, so I decided I'd come join you guys in your meeting!"

"MEETING MY BUTT! If a word comes out of you two about my sex life…"

"Ath-ath, I think you know this already, but…"

"You. Don't. Have. One," Heine said merrily, walking into the room and sitting into a chair opposite Dearka. The tanned blonde grinned at him and they reached over to high-five each other. Not amused, Athrun took the place at the front of the table.

"So, Heine, why did you call this meeting even though we just HAD a meeting on Friday?" Athrun demanded, resting his head on one hand.

"It didn't seem like you were listening to me, so I decided maybe I'd try again and this time, with the help of Dea—"

"… you're saying that you're holding this meeting just to tell me what you told me on Friday?! HEINE!"

"Chill, this time we have Deark—"

"I DON'T GIVE A DARN IF HE'S HERE!"

Eyes suddenly welling up, Dearka pretended to dab his purple eyes with a handkerchief. "Ath-ath, you're s-so cruel! How c-could you do t-this to me?!" Sobbing hysterically, Heine reached over and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's okay, Dearka. This man's cold like that," he assured, shooting Athrun a mischievous look. "Athrun, why don't you cheer _Dea-chan _up?"

Acting along, Dearka bit his lip and made googly eyes at Athrun, who leaned back with disgust written across his face. Blinking rather rapidly, the blonde said shakily, "A-Ath-ath… I thought we had something…"

"That just proves you are delusional," retorted the blue-haired boss, twitching.

"Oh! A stab to my heart!" Dearka cried out loud, gasping and resuming his dry sobbing.

"Athrun, be a man! Comfort this lass's broken heart!" Heine reached over and patted the blonde on the back.

"You know what, don't make it any harder than it already is to ki—"

"Oh, but you need it…"

"No I don't! Okay, you two, get a room!"

"This room is fine, isn't it?"

"A ROOM WITHOUT ME IN I— DEARKA, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!"

People who walked past the room could only wonder what was going on behind that locked door.

**2 Hours Later**

"Look, Heine, I swear, if you do that to me one more time, I will personally make sure you have no chance of ever having an heir—" Staring at his phone which chose to rang at an inconvenient time, Athrun glared at the number before answering. "Shinn Asuka. What the heck do you want with me?"

"Well, you didn't call, so I decided to call you. It's like, you know, if they don't initiate it, then you got to make the first mov—"

"Too much information, Shinn. Why are you calling me?"

"I was wondering, would you like to come over and meet up with us? Just for a day of fun and stuff."

"Us?" Athrun queried, raising his eyebrows and shooting a furtive look at the two people in the meeting room, who were doing things that no one else needed to know.

"Stellar and I, Rey and Luna, and… Meyrin?" Sighing in relief, Athrun turned away from the scene in front of him.

"Sure, I'm up for it. When and where?"

"We were thinking at the Orb National Park, Saturday, at 12 PM."

"Fine with me," Athrun replied, before hanging up. He turned around to stare right into the ears of Heine and Dearka. "…"

Moving back, Heine and Dearka chimed in, "Finally got a date?"

Rolling his eyes, Athrun replied sarcastically, "Yeah, with Shinn Asuka."

His response created an awkward silence. Heine gaped at the navy-haired man in what seemed like shock. Raising his eyebrows again, Athrun glanced at him meaningfully. The orange-haired boss cleared his throat and weakly stammered, "Y-you… are gay?"

Stepping back a bit, Athrun quickly snapped, "No, I'm not! I was just jok—"

"OH, ATHRUN, IF ONLY YOU HAD TOLD ME EARLIER…" Heine cried out, ecstatic. "COME, ATHRUN! COME INTO MY ARMS!"

"WHAT THE BLOODY H—"

A crowd of people had gathered outside the meeting room by this time, with their ears glued to the door.

* * *

Athrun stood, waiting at the entrance of Orb National Park, tapping his foot. Sneaking a peek at his watch, he stared at the long hand, which was already at 12, while the smaller hand reached over to 3. Sighing and crossing his arms, he began to wonder if he had gotten the meeting point wrong. He was about to call the black-haired man when he saw his secretary running towards him.

"Mr. Zala!" Meyrin called out as she got closer. Her hair was no longer in pigtails, instead in loose curls that spilled over her shoulders. Her clothes, a white tank top with a light steel blue sweater, and white caprices, were ruffled and wrinkled by the wind. "S-sorry… about… being… late…"

"Athrun's fine," he replied, eyeing her attire. "Where's everyone else?"

"Huh? Who?" Meyrin stared at him in confusion, which he returned.

"I thought… we were meeting up with Shinn, Stellar, Luna, and Rey!"

"We were?! But… Luna said you had invited me out… alone…?"

The two stared at each other as this information sunk in. Then, furious, both of them whipped out their cell phones and punched in two different numbers. Shinn, who was lounging around at home, knew he was in trouble when both his phones began to ring. He stared worriedly at Lunamaria and Stellar, who were sitting on the couch opposite. Lunamaria picked up their home phone, while Shinn picked up his personal cell phone.

"Hey, Meyrin!" Lunamaria greeted rather cheerfully.

"YOU LIED TO ME!"

"Are you guys having fun yet?"

"NO! Don't you know how awkward this is for me?! He's my BOSS, for goodness' sake!"

"It's not like your company has a rule saying there can't be any personal relationships between coworkers."

"But still! HE'S ATHRUN ZALA. HOTT— I mean, one of the BEST bosses in this area! You're expecting ME to go out with HIM on a DATE?!"

"Chill! Aren't you so happy you finally got to go out with him?"

"LUNA!"

Meanwhile, Shinn was getting an earful as well.

"Look, Athrun, I'm sorry, but we can't make it!" Shinn repeated, glancing at Rey who coughed, and Stellar who hummed and looked at the ceiling.

"Why the heck do I have to go out with my SECRETARY for a day?! I should just leave."

"Athrun, be a man!"

"Asuka, you don't expect ME to lead a GIRL around for DATE, do you?"

"I do! What, are you going to lead a GUY around for a DATE then?"

"ASUKA!"

"Seriously, how much harm is just one afternoon going to do? Lead her around, be a gentleman, okay? I really gotta go, so, tell me how it goes later!" He hung up, and sighed. At the same time, Luna hung on Meyrin, and she flopped down on a couch beside Rey.

"I sincerely hope it goes well, or I'm going to be dead meat," Luna said, breaking the awkward silence that had creeped into the room.

"Me too," Shinn rolled around on the couch, praying he would not be dead meat the coming Monday.

Athrun groaned and snapped his phone shut. Meyrin did the same, blushing bright red as she did so. They turned around and looked at one another questioningly.

"So… what now?" Meyrin wondered.

"… we could just walk around, I guess. So we didn't come here for nothing."

Meyrin began to blush even more, as she nodded quickly. Walking next to each other, they headed off into the park.

It was a very natural park, with paths winding around, and small flower gardens for visitors to stop and smell. Animals were also a very common site here, and there were numerous vendors selling deer and squirrel food. Meyrin decided to buy a pack of deer food, which consisted of mainly yams.

"Be sure not to eat it yourself," Athrun teased. She pouted and stuffed one into his mouth.

"I think you're the one that needs to be careful!" She retorted, and squealed as he choked and tore it out of his mouth.

"GET BACK HERE!" He roared as he ran after her. Right as he left, Cagalli strolled across the exact same vendor Meyrin had gotten her yams from. Taking in the scent of the freshly baked yams, she purchased a bag of yams before walking along the same path Athrun and Meyrin had taken.

"Okay! Stop! I won't do it anymore!" Meyrin panted as she leaned against a tree, chewing yams that Athrun had forcefully stuffed in her mouth. Athrun collapsed onto the grass beside her, chuckling.

"I win," he added, much to her bemusement. Rolling her eyes, she picked up her pack of yams again before replying.

"You're so childish!"

"Not as much as you."

"Hey, what do you me— OH!" A deer walked up to her, sniffing at the yams in her arms. The red-haired girl took a step back, and held out a yam for the deer. Gazing at the girl with large, round eyes, the deer nuzzled her hand before taking it. It chewed, and began sniffing for more. Laughing, Meyrin offered it some more. Before long, a small group of 3 deer had surrounded the girl. Athrun, on the grass, simply smiled as he glanced at her being surrounded with deer. It wasn't long until Meyrin had ran out of yams. "Sorry, no more!"

Staring at her with disappointed eyes, they nuzzled her rather fiercely, knocking her over and right onto… Athrun. Green eyes met blue ones, and they did not look away, even as the deer playfully pranced away. There was a tension in the air, so tight… it was difficult for either of them to breath. Meyrin's face was as red as her hair, while Athrun was simply just shocked to find a girl so close to him. The secretary unconsciously leaned forward… until...

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_ Muahahahaha. Cliffhanger. (YES I CAN BE EVIL)

If you're wondering, NO, this is NOT an Athrun x Meyrin fanfiction. * hides behind a shield * I'm not a fan of them either, so yeah. XD Sorry for being… 2 days late in updating! D: I might begin taking 2 weeks to update, at the rate I'm going at, but we'll see. XD

Was sick earlier this week, hence the late and lame updates. ._________. Ughhh, stupid cold.

Actually this chapter was supposed to be longer, but it turned out bad so I just left it for the next chapter. AHAHAHAHA. : D

Time for reviews!

_**Chapter 3 Reviews:**_

**Angel Wings-008:** Yes, you'll find out soon! Within the next 5 chapters, I'm guessing (not 100% certain)! && I'm glad! I was a bit worried about the last part, when she snuck back out crying, but oh well! : D

**Darkangl28:** Aww, thank you! : D Yeah, I used to write those kinds of fics, but I stopped because they weren't my forte. Anyways, I'm glad you like it! :D

**AsuCagaFan:** Aha, yes yes, poor Athrun. * evil grin * But that is so true! He's young, he's handsome, he's filthy rich… yet he hasn't gotten… yeah yet?! Oh, the surprise! You'll find out why Kira doesn't want Cagalli to be known probably within the next 5 chapters. XD Ohohohoho! P.S. Well, you never know! Until later chapters, of course. XD

**Cagalli Haruka Zala:** I know! Tsk tsk, Kira! But he has his reasons, as you'll find out soon. :P

**memeylupht:** Haha, yeah. :D I guess you could say she WANTED to beat him up… but I decided to spare the readers a blood bath scene, so I didn't write it in. XD All this will be revealed about Cagalli and why Kira kept quiet about her in later chapters, so keep reading! ;P Next chapter will definitely be longer than this one. o u o'' Hopefully. XD

**Byron Lancaster:** Aww, thanks! :) REALLY? OH JOY! :D I can't wait! O u O

**darksilvercloud:** I know right? D: It was actually supposed to end a different way, but I felt this way would be better for the overall progression. :D

**jaja59:** Apparently. :D I read about it on some forums and was looking for confirmation. What'd the announcement from Bandai say? ANYWAYS, yeah, Cagalli was crying because Kira had acted like he had no sister (which was obviously not true)! And she misunderstood why he acted that way, and yeah. :( Oh well! All this will be revealed in future chapters!

To **ALL** my reviewers; thanks for reading and reviewing! And to the watchers and favers, thanks so much! I'm honored that you guys like it so much. ; u ; Keep the reviews coming in, okay? :D I love hearing from readers, so don't feel afraid or too shy! I don't bite… hard. – u –

Hope you liked this chapter (despite the obvious AsuMey scenes at the end, but I ASSURE YOU, I am a 100% AsuCaga fan)! Don't forget to _**read and review! **_:D


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